Heaven's Gate
by TeeBeMe
Summary: Give me a boost over Heaven's gate. AU, series of oneshots.
1. flowers&tattoos

**Flower Shop/Tattoo Artist**

* * *

"You're joking."

Sobaku Temari offered a surly smirk with an air of satisfaction hanging around her. She folded her arms across her chest and cocked her hip to the side. "Beggars can't be choosers, bro."

"I didn't _beg_ for this."

Temari's smirk dropped and she wheeled around. Her youngest brother had a good couple of inches on her but hell if that would stop her. "I don't want any of that attitude of yours, Gaara. If you'd have gotten your shit together early on, we wouldn't have to resort to this. Now shut up and be nice to Ino. She didn't have to do this for us," She chided him in that no-nonsense way of hers. Gaara scowled at his sister, lip curling as he turned back towards the cute, cottage-like flower shop. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Temari was right. God, he hated when she was right. Ino really didn't have to hire him to help her around her family's famous flower shop. Why, she even agreed, was anyone's guess.

But hey, helping out at a flower shop for 'community service' sure as hell beat wasting away behind bars.

"You could have at least worn a longer shirt," Temari scolded him, eyeing the edge of colorful tattoos peeking from underneath his sleeves.

"And I also could have not broken the law but here we are, Mari'."

Temari leveled him with a look, the type of look their mother used to shoot him and his brother when she was losing her patience. It's unnerving to see the exact same expression on his sister's face. "Just... _go_ ," She said after a long moment of just staring at him, unfolding her arms to shove him forward.

Ino was nice about letting him work there, her parents were on some vacation and she could use the extra help. She mostly kept him in the backrooms and yard, away from her customers. Not that he even minded. He wasn't sure what it would do to her business and reputation if she had his scary ass out front and center. Besides, he didn't mind doing all the heavy lifting and other chores if it meant not having to interact with people.

So he was doing just fine until one day when Ino needed to make an emergency delivery. Of course she couldn't leave the shop unattended. "It'll just be thirty minutes, Gaara, I promise. No one usually comes in around this time anyway. Just stay in the front, water the flowers and I'll be right back."

Not long after Ino left, the bell chimed.

Fuckin' liar, that woman was.

"Well who's the one who forgot the shit in the first place? Don't give me that bullshit, you twat. You're the one who forgot about her birthday, which makes no sense at all because you managed to remember _mine._ We're _twins_ , for shit's sake!"

Gaara wasn't exactly sure what he was expecting but it certainly wasn't a vertically challenged woman, who despite her vulgar language, had quite the pretty face. Well, if he was being completely honest, her pretty face was a little odd. Not that she wasn't pretty. The combination of her features were just...something you'd read in a fantasy novel. There was something fairytale-ish about her.

"Goddammit, Naruto, I don't _have_ to do this shit for you," the tiny terror growled. "You know what, Naruto, shut the hell up. I'm at Ino's and I'll get the goddamn bouquet, alright?" the pint sized devil stabbed at the phone, ending the call and promptly shoved the phone into the back pocket of her jeans. "Yo, amazon, let me tell you how Naruto fucked up th—you're not Ino." She stopped short, staring up at him with wide eyes.

"No, evidently, I'm not," Gaara replied in a lazy drawl, leaning against the counter. The woman frowned, lips puckering into a slight pout. His shirt pulls, revealing an inch of tattooed skin. Her eyes are quick to rove over the bright colors but he caught the motion anyway. He waited for her face to twist up in disapproval. Her face would pull and she'd probably leave because hell if she would do business with some former tattooed thug.

"Ino's much prettier," She commented instead, mischievous eyes catching his gaze. A slight smile pulled at her lips. "I didn't know she was hiring new help."

"Special circumstances called for it."

"Don't they always?" She hummed, though it didn't sound much like a question. The woman stepped up to the counter, leaning against it. "So do you know how to put bouquets together or are you just here to look pretty?"

Was she _flirting_ with him?

Well that was new.

"Not as pretty as Ino, it would seem," He answered around an amused smirk.

" _No one_ is as pretty as Ino," She grinned like a Cheshire cat. That isn't true but it's not in his nature to butter women up for a smile or a two. "But that's okay, she'll be back soon, anyway. I'll come back later, can't be gone for too long from work. Boss'll get pissed. I just need a bouquet of white orchids and pink roses, can you tell Ino that when she gets back?"

"Mm," He flipped Ino's notebook open of all the orders recorded for the day. "Name?" He asked, tapping the pen against the paper.

"Xin," She replied simply. She leaned on the tips of her toes, using the counter as leverage for balance. "Want my phone number too?"

He's rendered speechless.

The woman—Xin ( _that's an odd name if he's ever heard one_ ) let out a laugh that sounded like bells and fell back on her feet. "Kidding, kidding," She mused jokingly before looking back towards his tattooed biceps. "Swing by our shop, yeah?"

And just like that, she was gone.

Ino came back, somewhat amused that he'd finally met Xin. Apparently the girl was nearly infamous among the cluster of shops that took up the town's square. "She's...a character," the blonde said slowly, already arranging the apology bouquet. "Nice girl with a twisted sense of humor. You two would get along great, she works at the tattoo shop."

"Tattoo shop?" He parrots, armed with a heavy tray of potted lilies. There's a tattoo shop around here and Xin worked there? Maybe that's why she didn't react badly to his own tattooed arms.

"You never noticed it? Well it's farther down, next to the nail salon. _Ink Old Blood_ , like in cold blood. I thought it was pretty clever. The owners are pretty nice and it's mostly guys. Whenever they mess up with their girlfriends, they'll send Xin over to buy some flowers," Ino explained with a twinkle in her eyes. Xin was an obvious familiar face, seeing as Ino didn't seemed surprised at all.

"It would be weird to see scary tattooed men come into a flower shop," Gaara mused. "She works the front desk or something?"

"She's a tattoo artist. I think she just finished her apprenticeship last year. From what I saw, she's pretty good too." The conversation about tattoo shops and fairy-like women end there, having run its course. They get back to work, with him eventually retreating to the backroom when customers begin to flood in.

A week later, Xin is back. Her lips are puckered in annoyance as she stalked towards the cash register. "Well, if it isn't the tiny terror," Ino sung at the sight of the much shorter woman. "Who screwed up this time?"

"Sasuke," Xin rolled her eyes, placing her elbow on the counter. She balanced her chin against her knuckles, looking every bit of bored. "Date night or some shit. I don't know, I wasn't listening. He doesn't want roses though. I think Sakura is getting bored of them," Xin shrugged careless shoulders. Ino hummed in thought, watching as Xin's eyes swept the shop. She would have chalked it off as Xin studying the colorful array of flowers but something told her it wasn't that. "Where's your new worker bee?" Xin asked after searching the shop.

Annnnd there it was.

"You mean Gaara," Ino supplied helpfully, fighting the smug smile that was pulling at her pink lips. "He's in the back. He comes off as a little intimidating so we agreed that he'd mostly stick to the back. Heavy lifting and watering the flowers."

"Intimidating? He seemed pretty nice that last time."

Before Ino could make a proper retort, Gaara stepped out from the back room. His arms were stretched above his head, allowing his sleeves to reveal the tattoos. Xin couldn't really tell what they were but she was positive the tattoos led to his back. "Oi, Ino—" He stopped at the sight of her.

"Hi," Xin smiled at him, watching as he dropped his arms back to his sides. She almost pouted but gathered herself. "Ino says you're helping out for awhile. That's nice. I never got your name that last time," She spoke with an air of innocence, smiling all the while. Her head tilted to the side, selling the innocent façade she currently wore.

Ino shot her a look but Xin brushed it off.

"It's Gaara."

Xin rolled her bottom lip into her mouth, sinking her teeth into it. She released it thoughtlessly a moment later. "Nice to meet you, Gaara. I'm Xin, in case you forgot, and I work at the tattoo parlor. If you ever want any new tattoos, I'm your girl."

Gaara gave her a funny look but nodded nonetheless, muttering about being done watering the flowers. "Thanks," Ino smiled at him. "There's actually some Gardenias that I need you to bring out front. But be careful, their petals bruise easily," She reminded him as he turned away with a quick nod. But not before noticing Xin waving at him as he left. Once the door closed behind him, Ino quirked a pale brow at the blunette. "Xin, about Sasuke?"

"Who now?"

Ino snorted and sagged against the counter, chuckling. "Could you be any more obvious?" She grinned. "Remember why you're here in the first place? Sasuke wanted flowers for Sakura? For date night?"

"Oh, yeah. How about peonies? Tulips? Tulips are nice. Pink, yellow and white? Sakura would like that shit, right?" Xin rambled in a distracted manner. "Course she would, Sakura likes that sappy shit."

Ino let out a laugh, jotting the order down. "Why don't you just ask him for his number?" She asked softly, brushing her fingers through flaxen locks. Xin steadily avoided Ino's gaze, finding her nails much more interesting.

"I don't know what you're talking about," She muttered just as the door swung open again. Gaara came stalking out from the back, armed with a heavy load of the fragile flowers Ino requested.

"You should start dating, Xin. Maybe then someone could buy you flowers instead of you buying flowers for everyone's girlfriends. Take someone home to meet your parents."

Xin snorted at that, absently picking up the pen Ino set down. She began sketching at the corner of the paper, filling it with abstract doodles. "My parents won't approve of _anyone_ I date," Xin hummed in a distracted tone, making it a point to not look up as Gaara went about with arranging the flowers the way Ino had showed him.

"They approved of Naruto."

"Naruto is dating Hinata. She can do no wrong. Me, on the other hand," Xin took a moment, snorting at her own thoughts. "Well I did run off to become a tattoo artist, of all things," She said in the careless tone of hers. Ino frowned, watching as Gaara's shoulders seemed to stiffen. "There's no use crying over spilled milk, eh? Anyway, I need to get back. I'll see you around," Xin straightened up, setting the pen down. She twisted around, eyes flickering under the bright lights. "You too, Gaara. Don't be a stranger."

The flower shop is left in a comfortable silence long after Xin leaves. Despite that, Gaara had an odd feeling and Ino looked like a grinning bobcat.

The third time Xin comes back around, she's armed with a parcel of something. Ino blinked at the smaller girl, frowning as she stepped into the shop. "Who messed up this time?" She asked in exasperation. Really, the guys didn't often mess up with their girlfriends. It was normal to see Xin once, maybe, twice a month. Not three times in one month.

"No one," Xin smiled at her. "I baked some treats with my sisters last night but we overdid it. I gave some to the guys at the shop but I still had some left over so why not share with you two?"

"How thoughtful," Ino mused, coming from behind the counter. She waved Gaara after her, smiling as she did so. "I am on a diet but I'll make an exception since they're _your_ cookies," She grinned at the sight of the cookies. Gaara stooped over Xin's slight frame, realizing just how tiny she was. The nickname, ' _tiny_ _terror_ ' as Ino lovingly said, was really fitting of her appearance. She tilted her head back, inky blue locks falling away from her face as she offered both her smile and her package of cookies.

He could see why Ino would make an exception to Xin's cookies. They were fuckin' delicious. He didn't even feel weird about reaching for a second helping. Xin hung around while they munched on the cookies and continued working. Apparently she was finished with work for the day but decided to share the cookies with Gaara and Ino before she headed home. That's how he found himself in the back-area doing the heavy lifting while Xin busied with watering the flowers. She playfully griped about Ino putting her to work for free but it seemed like she didn't really mind it at all.

She's over by the daffodils when she speaks up. "How come you're so touchy about your tattoos?" her voice is light, serene almost. For some reason, he figured it was in her nature to go straight for the kill. Blunt as all hell. "You hide them all the time."

"Do you have tattoos?" He asked instead. She paused at his question, setting Ino's watering can down and turned towards him. She pulled the sleeve of her shirt up, baring her forearm. The somber face of Frankenstein's monster stares back. She reached for the other sleeve, pulling that up to reveal thin vines wrapping around her wrist with two silhouette of birds perched on it. Boldly she lifted the hem of her shirt, revealing a waning Crescent moon, a full moon and a waxing Crescent moon along the curving underside of her breast.

Much later on, when their relationship had blossomed into something more, she'll show him the weeping Geisha tattooed to her thigh, the dying Sakura branch on the back of her shoulder and the Skull with growing vines on her hip. But for now, she simply shows him just three.

"My tattoos are gang-related," Gaara murmured, waiting for the judgmental onslaught. Yes, they both had tattoos but he knew for a fact that a girl like her wasn't involved with gangs and organized crime.

"Are they?" She asked after a long moment. She adjusted her shirt, smoothing the wrinkles away cause by all of her tugging. "My Boss used to be in a gang. His girlfriend too. Actually most of my coworkers were in a gang too. They're some of the nicest people you could meet," Xin spoke in that same serene tone, carefully approaching him. She reached out slowly, gently skimming her nails against his arm. Her fingers curled around his wrist, pulling him towards her. "We all make choices that we might not be proud of later. That's okay, you know. I mean, society is very judgmental but there's some people in this world who wouldn't judge you."

He didn't say anything and Xin took that as the go-ahead to keep speaking. "You've been nothing but nice to me, a bit shy, but it's not you like _know_ me. I would like to get to know you though."

Gaara snorted down at her but didn't pull away. "You just want to see the back tattoo and compare styles."

"Yes, among other reasons," She confessed, a sheepish blush smarting at her cheeks. The blush remained but a lip-gnawing smile returned. She took another step, stepping so far into his space that he could literally smell the ink still clinging to her skin from the tattoo shop. "I just think...that a thug-turned florist and a runaway tattoo artist would make a great friendship, don't you?"

A great friendship indeed and even greater romance, somewhere down the line.

* * *

TeeBeMe: I've been struggling with some heavy writer's block lately when it comes to Whispers in the Dark, SOC and Lucky Ones. That and a sort of...disinterest to write lately. I've been in a slump, I guess. I hate writing when I'm in a funk because the chapters become so wonky and I'm annoyed with it. So I took some time to gather myself and cater to my mental health because I haven't been in a happy state lately. I suppose I feel somewhat better now, better enough to write.

Anyway, I decided to do a series of oneshots with Xin and Gaara because I love them and they make me happy and just think of all the short little oneshots in different AUs. I'll probably look at fanfic prompts and whatnot but feel free to drop some idea. You guys come up with better shit than what I come up with half the time. Don't worry, this doesn't mean I'm leaving my other fics in limbo. I'm still working on chapters.

As always, hope you guys enjoy.


	2. crushcrushcrush

**CrushCrushCrush**

* * *

He very clearly remembered the day he met the oddity that was Hyuga Xin. He'd been about eight or so and was playing in the sandbox with Naruto and a couple of other boys. And then this small, pigtailed wearing monster marched right up to them, squinted at them and then savagely punched one of their friends right in the face. They were obviously speechless as she climbed into the sandpit, standing over the poor boy she'd assaulted with no warning. "If you keep pulling my sister's hair, I'm going to break your nose!"

No one said anything for a long time until they collectively burst into squawks of laughter. In hindsight, it probably wasn't funny but they were a bunch of seven and eight year old boys who just witnessed their friend get clocked in the face. The boy only rubbed his face, skin glowing hot as they mercilessly teased him. Another little girl ran up to the sandpit, hair pulled into similar pigtails. "Xin, you're going to get in trouble," she whined, reaching for the Devil incarnate.

"He teased you, Hina. But he won't anymore," Xin replied with her hands placed on her nonexistent hips. Hinata only grabbed Xin and tugged her out of the sandbox. Gaara didn't have the heart to tell the Devil that Kiba only teased Hinata because he had a harmless crush on her. Where's the fun in that?

"Oi, your nose is bleeding," Naruto pointed out around his grin, pointing a dirty finger at Kiba's bloody nose.

They didn't let him live that down.

Eventually Xin had been dragged back over to them by her mother and was forced to apologize. She did so begrudgingly but the damage had been done and the impression had been made. No one on the playground messed with the Hyuga sisters. They became friends with Gaara and Naruto after that. It seemed like they were the only two besides the girls' cousin that didn't actively fear Xin. The four of them were practically inseparable as they got older.

And then the girls were sent off to some snooty, all-girls' boarding school and weren't heard from since. It was a bummer once he realized that ironically, he formed an actual crush on Xin. Gaara never told her, knowing full well that the pint-sized hellion just might punch him in the face like she'd done to Kiba. Time went on and he eventually forgot about the Hyuga sisters. Every so often the infamous punch would be brought up here and there to humble Kiba but the Hyuga sisters were a distant memory and life continued on.

Until High School. He didn't exactly have the best reputation in High School and Naruto was no better with his prankster reputation. His father was often too busy to pay him any mind and unsupervised kids tended to get into mischief. It got worse the older he got and he turned out to be one of those boys that concerned parents warned their daughters away from.

Daughters like Hyuga Xin.

"Remember that little demon girl we were friends with? The one with the twin sister?" Naruto asked as he vaulted over the back of the couch one afternoon after a long day of school, jostling Sasuke and Sakura.

"The girl who punched Kiba in the face?" Sakura asked innocently, twirling a lock of pink hair around her finger. She hadn't been there that day but her friends brought it up enough for her to know the story.

Kiba slumped into the ratty La-Z boy. "Why do we constantly have to bring that up?"

"Because it was funny," Gaara snorted from across from him, leaning back into the chair they'd drag down once the basement became more occupied with Naruto's friends. "That girl was the size of a garden gnome and she bloodied your nose and threatened to break it."

Kiba grumbled to himself and folded his arms across his chest like a petulant child. Naruto grinned impishly, not the least bit sorry of all the teasing Kiba endured. "Anyway, they transferred to our school. I heard a couple of people talking about them today at the end of classes."

Gaara frowned, trying to remember if he'd heard anything about that. But then he remembered taking a nap at the end of his classes so maybe that's why he hadn't been aware of the conversation. "Yeah, so?" he grunted, feigning indifference.

"Sooo," Naruto drummed his hands against his lap for a dramatic flare. "I heard they got _really_ hot. Like….Ino level hot," he grinned impishly, causing Sakura to huff.

"You're disgusting."

"You sure you want to go down that road, Uzumaki?" Sasuke finally spoke up, impressed with the blond's antics. "This is the girl that punched Kiba in the face because of some harmless crush on her sister. Imagine what she would do now."

"We called her the Devil for a reason," Shikamaru pointed out from his spot at the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah, yeah, I thought about that but see, here's what I'm thinking—"

"An amazing feat," Gaara mumbled into his can of soda.

"— _fuck off, Gaara_. So the Devil girl and her sister got transferred to one of those fancy-schmancy private girls' schools, right? Their family is loaded, I think, so wouldn't going to a school like that kind of cool her down?"

"Yeah, maybe so but they probably think they'd be too good to date someone like you," Gaara pointed out indifferently.

Naruto grinned wolfishly, "Who said anything about dating?"

Sakura made a noise of disgust and shook her head. "And on that note, it's time for me to head out. You know, one of these days you're going to meet a girl and develop feelings for her and she's going to break your heart. That goes for you too, Gaara," Sakura began, standing up while gathering her things. Sometimes she really had to ask herself why she hung out with a bunch of idiotic boys all of the time.

Gaara only peered up at her, frowning indignantly. "I didn't even say anything."

She only stared back, pink eyebrow slightly raised as if she knew all about the shallow crush he once had on the Devil girl. She didn't say anything else, turning sharply and leaving the hangout spot. Sasuke watched her go, grumbling darkly while pushing himself up. "Great, now she's upset. Thanks, Uzumaki," he pointed out dryly. Naruto only waved him off, not at all concerned. Sakura was Sasuke's girlfriend, not his. Sasuke left soon after that, intent on smoothing out the pinkett's ruffled feathers. Shikamaru shoved Naruto over and joined him on the couch, not at all concerned with Naruto's schemings. If he wanted to deal with pissing off the girl with the Devil nickname, that was his business.

* * *

They actually didn't see either twin for a good couple of weeks. They were a year younger than any of them and apparently only interacted with their fellow first years. That didn't sway Naruto's determination and they finally spotted the Hyuga sisters one afternoon. The resemblance the two shared was unnerving, even for twins. The only difference that truly set them apart were the look in their eyes. Hinata had a more shy disposition, sporting a softer look in her gaze. Her sister, Gaara noted, had a more mischievous look.

"See, she doesn't look so scary," Naruto pointed out, motioning to Xin. "Definitely hotter than Ino."

"Their standards are probably higher than hers too," Gaara replied with a mean-spirited smirk. "Fooling around with a girl with their social background isn't easy, Uzumaki."

"That's the fun part, the challenge."

"Sakura would definitely kick your ass if she were here right about now."

"Don't be like that. You can't tell me you don't think they're pretty."

"They are. And they're probably a lot of trouble too."

Before he could talk Naruto out of doing something dumb, the Devil incarnate looked up, spotting them. Her face scrunched up, eyes squinted at them. She probably recognized them but couldn't place their faces. "Hyuga!" Uzumaki explained, probably having a hard time telling them apart. He journeyed towards them, leaving Gaara with no choice but to follow after him. He didn't necessarily agree with Naruto's plan but he'd be there to watch it blow up in his face. "You remember us?"

"Don't involve me," Gaara muttered.

"Vaguely," the Devil frowned, tilting her head back to look Naruto right in the eye. "We used to play together when we were kids, right?"

"You punched their friend in the face because he was picking on me," her sister reminded her in a soft tone, looking everywhere but up.

Xin took a moment, fishing for the memory before a satisfied smile pulled at her plump lips. "I did, didn't I?"

"Yeah, we still make fun of him for that. I'm Naruto, if you forgot, and this is Gaara," he slapped a hand against Gaara's shoulder, ignoring his earlier statement of not involving him.

"I'm Xin and this is Hinata, if you couldn't tell us apart," Xin replied, amusement sparking in her eyes. Gaara was not going to admit that he could actually tell the difference, based on their mannerisms. Hinata was the softer of the two and Xin was the more outgoing sister. It hadn't changed, even after all these years. Gaara soon tuned them out after that, feigning indifference as Naruto continued to chat up the Hyuga sisters. He snuck glances at Xin, watching the motions of her lips as she spoke with Naruto, unaware of his plotting.

The warning bell rang, signaling the end of their conversation. The Hyuga sisters left first, waving with smiles as they hurried to their next class. Gaara and Naruto watched them go, a grin on Naruto's face. "I've decided that I want Hinata."

Gaara only sighed, "you're gonna die dude."

Naruto wished he could have said he accomplished his goal fairly easily but then that would be a big fat ass lie. True to Sakura's words, Naruto ended up getting his heart broken. Two weeks into trying to bed Hinata proved to be futile and with an ironic twist, Naruto ended up developing very deep feelings for Hinata. And for months, Hinata shot him down ruthlessly and with a smile. It was entertaining to watch, to be honest, because Naruto just wasn't used to this sort of thing. What was more surprising was that her Devil of a sister didn't immediately try to put him in the hospital.

In fact, she reacted the opposite way of what everyone thought. Amusement danced in Xin's eyes every time her sister rejected Naruto's flirtations. They at least expected a punch to the nose like she'd done to Kiba all those years ago. Instead, Xin offered one piece of advice: "Be her friend first, moron."

It took the remainder of the school year for Hinata to actually give Naruto a chance. But once they started dating, the rest was history. They were high school sweethearts and the school's golden couple. Xin, on the other hand, was even more ruthless than her sister when it came to shooting boys down. No one really knew why she refused to date but it almost became like a game to the male student body. None, so far, had been successful.

With Hinata dating Naruto, it created a spot in their group of friends for the twins. It wasn't a bad thing, they actually got along well with everyone. They fit in so well that it was almost like they never stopped being friends in the first place.

That wasn't the problem.

The problem was the crush that eight year-old Gaara once had on a seven year-old Xin reared its unwanted head once more. It was alarming how quickly it resurfaced but there it fuckin' was, staring him in the face every time he glanced at the pint-sized Devil incarnate. That had to say a lot about him because they could barely be described as actual friends. They were more like frenemies that mostly tolerated one another because of Naruto's relationship with Hinata. They were antagonistic towards one another, usually trading verbal barbs and scathing remarks. So how a crush redeveloped was beyond him but it was there. Maybe it had something to do with the way she treated him.

Gaara found himself trudging down towards the Uzumaki's basement, his face throbbing something awful. He could've gone home to fix all the scrapes and bruises up but he didn't feel like listening to his older sister nag him about his fighting. It's not like he went looking for fights but what was he supposed to do? _Not_ defend himself?

He shoved the door open and noticed to his dismay that the basement was empty. That was a rare occurrence. He leaned against the frame, contemplating on what to do. Maybe he could go upstairs and find Kushina? But then he'd have to sit through her scolding him for hours on end. Besides, he didn't want to bother the older redhead anyway. Yes, she allowed him to hang out in her basement whenever he felt like it but she wasn't his mother or even his caregiver.

As Gaara continued to think over his options, a sudden stirring from the couch caught his eye. "Were you raised in a barn? Shut the door," the She-Devil herself suddenly sat up into view, the book that had been covering her face falling to her lap. Her nap was evident due to the drowsy look slapped onto her face. They stared at one another for a long moment before realization dawned on her. "Jesus Christ, you're bleeding!" she exclaimed while launching herself off of the couch. Gaara watched silently as she flew up the stairs, screeching nonsense to herself. She came back only seconds later, toting Kushina's massive first aid kit with her.

Xin nearled bowled him over in her haste to get to him. "Well?" she asked impatiently, craning her neck back to look up at him. "Gaara, you're taller than me, you dork! Sit down," she pointed out with a scowl, motioning towards the couch. The tall redhead glared at her but stepped around her to lean against the arm of the couch. She glared right back at him but dropped the kit on the ratty La-Z boy to rifle through it. She nudged at his knee, forcing him to part his legs to stand between them. She leaned in, meticulously cleaning up the blood smattered across his face. "Don't you ever get tired of being a delinquent and fighting all the time?"

There was a spark of amusement in her eyes as he continued to glare at her. "It's not like I ask to fight," he pointed out dryly as she focused on the bleeding cut below his cheekbone.

"That's not what I heard," Xin mused with pursed lips, fingers curling around his jaw to tilt his head back. "I heard you were always looking for trouble in middle school."

Gaara almost pulled back from her, wanting to slap her hands away. "That was middle school," he reminded her in that same dry tone. "Where'd you hear that from, anyway? Been asking around about me, Princess?"

It was his turn to look at her in amusement as she flushed heavily. "Oh, _please_ , I was being warned to stay away from you. I didn't ask about you," Xin huffed primly. "I hope you at least won the fight."

"Of course I won," Gaara rolled his eyes. "What are you even doing here alone? Aren't your parents wondering where you are?"

Xin paused in her task, glancing at him from below thick lashes. "Aren't yours?" she asked pointedly. It was obvious that her parents were a sore spot for her, for whatever reason. Now that he thought about it, their parents never seemed all that concerned with Hinata and Xin's whereabouts when they hung around in the basement. You'd think they would at least call to check up on them like Sakura's parents often did. They were young girls, after all. Anything could happen but the only time he could ever recall the twins discussing their parents was when it involved their grades.

"Doubt it," Gaara snorted, unconcerned about his relationship with his father.

A silence fell over them momentarily but Xin continued to clean Gaara's face up of any blood. "I was hanging out with Naruto and Hinata but they left on a date," Xin suddenly said, steering the conversation out of awkward territory. "I didn't feel like going home just yet, so I took a nap. A short nap since you came stumbling in."

"You can't do that in your own house?"

"You can't do this in your own house?"

Point taken.

She finished up quickly, complaining about his blood getting all over the place. Despite her grievances, she looked highly amused as he settled down next to her on the couch. It wasn't often that the two sat so close, as their friends usually kept them apart. He might have imagined it but he was almost positive that she somehow shifted closer at some point.

They didn't talk about it.

Some days later found Gaara leaving school late. He'd been dumb enough to get caught skipping class and had been awarded two hours of detention. And now it was raining. Luckily he had an umbrella with him but walking home was going to be a real pain in the neck. Sakura tried to warn him about skipping Anko's class but hell if he listened.

Hyuga Xin, however, wasn't so lucky.

She was standing at the entrance, fist resting on the slope of her hip as she stared out into the downpour. Her back was to him but he could tell by her stance that she was annoyed with the weather conditions. Blankly, he glanced down at his umbrella. It was large enough, he thought, and Xin was pretty small to begin with. She could, hypothetically speaking, fit under his umbrella with him. "Yo, Princess," Gaara knocked into her, nearly sending her out into the downpour. She let out a squawk of indignation, whirling around to glare up at him. He almost smiled, as she had that devilish look in her eyes that she had right before she punched Kiba in the nose.

Good times, good times.

"Watch it, you oaf!" she snapped up at him.

"Sorry, didn't see you down there."

"Oh, you are full of absolute shit."

Gaara leered down at her, dipping low to shove his face into hers. "I don't think your folks would approve of that kind of language, Princess."

Her face flushed and he was almost positive it was because he was antagonizing her. She pulled back from him, shoving him away at the same time. "Get out of my face," she muttered almost petulantly. "What are you even still doing here? Shouldn't you be off making orphans cry?"

"Hilarious, really," Gaara replied dryly, childishly yanking on her ponytail. She swated his hand away with that devil look in her eyes. "I had detention."

"Not surprising."

"What about you? Shouldn't you be home where it's safe?"

The devil look in her pretty eyes dimmed as she frowned softly. "I had cleaning duty today," she answered, shrugging an uncaring shoulder. "And now I'm waiting for the rain to clear up."

"You headin' to Uzumaki's?" Gaara asked, wondering about the look now floating around in her eyes. He wasn't sure why he figured she'd be going to Naruto's house instead of her own. Maybe it was the same reason he often went there instead of his own home. Maybe it wasn't his business.

"Yeah, I guess so. I'm pretty sure Hinata is over there anyway," Xin replied thoughtlessly, finding the rain freakishly interesting. Her only problem was the heavy downpour, she'd be soaked through before getting halfway there.

Gaara wordlessly held the umbrella up, waving it in her face. "Cool, me too. Let's go," he tried to say in a casual tone. She glanced up at him, eyebrows high on her forehead.

"...why?"

"Because we're both going the same way so might as well go together. Why're you being so difficult about it?"

"I'm not," she huffed. "But...I mean…don't we hate each other?"

Gaara frowned at her question, staring down at her. "I never said I hated you," he muttered just barely above a whisper. Maybe it's the tone of his voice or the look in his eyes but her face was bright red, again. Her face was red and her mouth pinched and her eyes are wide and she looks…

Well...not like the Devil.

"Oh," Xin managed to get out. "I just always thought...well...you're always picking on me and we're always arguing so...y'know," her dark lashes fluttered against her cheekbones almost erratically. To be honest, school hierarchy dictated that the two _should_ hate one another. After all, she was the wealthy popular girl and he was the grungy delinquent. They shouldn't even be in the same group of friends. But honestly, if she thinks hard, their bickering was never...cruel. It was sarcastic and mean but never outright...vicious.

Odd.

"I pick on you because I like how red your face gets and how mean your eyes look. You look like the Devil," Gaara stated before he could really stop himself. That was probably a bit of information better left unsaid.

"You like— _the Devil_?!"

A bark of laughter interrupted her rage filled rant as he opened the umbrella. "C'mon, Princess, before it rains even harder."

"Are you dumb? It can't get any harder than this."

"You're clearly the dumb one. Ever hear of a hurricane?"

"A hurricane? In March?"

"Don't be a smartass."

"Can't help it, moron."

They bicker all the way to Naruto's house, pressed together so tightly they can barely walk without tripping over one another. He alleviates the problem by throwing an arm around her shoulders, trapping her against his side while keeping them both dry under the umbrella. They don't say much about it, filling the air with their mean-spirited insults and sarcastic jabs instead. It's not until they're loudly stomping down the basement stairs, listening to their friends watching television that Xin quietly mutteres:

"I don't hate you either."

Xin finally cracked during her third year of high school. Naruto, Gaara and the others had all graduated and were in college or employed while she and her sister finish up their last school year. Hinata and Naruto were still dating and they still all hang out in Naruto's basement.

A boy asks Xin out and for some reason, she says yes. Hinata is the one to tell them all about it. Xin, on the other hand, avoids their stares while occupying herself with her math homework. A plume of annoyance bloomed in Gaara's chest and he found himself childishly pulling on her hair.

He doesn't like this Masaru guy.

They date for awhile, much to Gaara's ever-growing annoyance. The guy is a complete asshole and they're constantly arguing. Not the same kind of arguing he and Xin share. Not the baseless name calling with curly smiles. Their arguing is nasty and usually ends up with Xin throwing something heavy in agitation. The others quickly learn to move valuables away from her grabby hands.

His holds on Xin are a bit too hard, Gaara notes. Fingers dig too tightly into her arm or her waist and her face always pinches in discomfort. She'd quietly mutter that he's hurting her and somehow it turns into a fight. None of them really understand why she doesn't break up with him. They don't really know that she's tried. Several times. Their verbal fights turn into physical fights and Xin finds herself frantically icing the bruises in an attempt to hide them from her friends. She fights back, of course, wildly throwing her own kicks and punches. But she's tinier than he is, softer, easier to bruise.

It's not until Masaru and Xin attend some party that things blow up. Gaara doesn't go, feeling like it was strange to go partying with high schoolers even though he's only a year older than most of the party goers. But Xin texted him around midnight, asking if he'd swing by and see her home. Or maybe to Naruto's basement. Her texts are a bit weird but he doesn't think much of it because Xin is a bit weird herself. He propped himself up against his car, waiting for her to come out once he arrived. The party music was loud, nearly shaking the house. Party goers are spread out on the property, some drinking or smoking, some passed out on the lawn while others are casually holding conversations.

Xin suddenly came storming out of the house, walking with an angry purpose. Masaru was close on her heels, shouting at her back as she stomped down the stairs. "Xin, wait, I can explain!"

"Fuck your explanation, Masaru!" she snapped over her shoulder, looking like the Devil she was. She easily spotted Gaara, relief flooding her pretty face, as she neared him. But Masaru, legs longer than hers, caught up fairly easily. Gaara realized that his clothes are a bit rumpled.

He's not liking where this is going.

Masaru's hand curled around Xin and he yanked her back so hard her damn arm looks like it'll pop from its socket.

Nope. Definitely not liking it.

"It wasn't anything serious, angel-face! It was just a little fun."

Angel-face, Gaara rolled his eyes. He's unaware that Xin also chooses that exact moment to also roll her eyes. "Are you serious right now? That's your explanation? A little fun? A little fun is having a few drinks and dancing together to shitty music. That's a little fun. What's not fun is finding your boyfriend balls deep in some random girl no one's ever seen before!"

Oh hell.

"Oh, c'mon, no relationship is perfect. It has its ups and downs."

"Cheating is not the downs of a relationship, you slimy sack of horseshit!" she snapped in anger. "Get off and fuck off! We're done and I mean it this time, slap me if you want but you're not forcing me to stay with you anymore."

 _Slap_ her?

"What'd you expect, Xin? You don't let me touch you, you don't do anything to make me feel good! I have needs, angel-face, and you were ignoring them."

Disgust paints her face but she snatched her arm away. "Quit calling me that, Jesus Christ! We don't have sex so you go find it somewhere else? You—oh who cares!"

Gaara still couldn't wrap his brain around the fact that Masaru had slapped Xin before. Was that a recurring issue? What the fuck was wrong with her, why would she allow that? Why hadn't she told anyone? Why was he still just standing there?

Masaru caught her by the biceps before she could go storming off again, shaking her so hard that her head rattled unnaturally on her neck. "You think I'm gonna let you walk away from me?!"

Okay. He'd had enough.

Gaara stalked up to them in just a couple of long strides, sliding in between them and violently shoving Masaru back. The color drained from Masaru's face as Gaara guided Xin to the side, staring at him hard. "You've got one more time," he uttered calmly. "I've never fuckin' liked you and if you come near her again, I'm gonna fuckin' kill you."

Plain and simple. No reason to be dramatic about. It was all very simple.

Masaru doesn't argue against Gaara. Why would he? He's known to be violent, they called him a delinquent and a thug in school. He's tall and strong, unlike tiny little Xin.

They leave the party with no objections from Masaru. They drive in silence the entire time, Gaara openly glancing at Xin any chance he gets. Her face was stony as she sat next to him, lips pressed into a thin line. When the two arrive at Naruto's house, they didn't immediately climb out. They sat there for a full five minutes before Xin finally spoke, "I, uh, I'm sorry about dragging you out to come pick me up. I should've—"

"Masaru's been hitting you?"

"Oh..well..I mean.."

"Yes or no, Xin."

"Just sometimes. I mean, it wasn't _that_ bad. I hit him back, we weren't...we weren't good for one another."

"Don't defend him. He's 5'10 and weighs about 180 pounds. You're 5'1 and weigh 110 pounds. He shouldn't be hitting you."

"115 pounds."

"Now isn't the time, Princess."

"Right."

"Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you tell your parents?"

Xin suddenly sank into herself, that stony look coming right back. She leaned her head back against the seat, fire in her eyes extinguished. "My parents...I don't know. I'm not sure if they'd really care," she finally admitted, staring at nothing in particular. It was an unspoken thing among the group. It wasn't that the twins' parents didn't care about their daughters, they just cared about their jobs more. It made sense, Gaara realized, why they never seemed concerned with their daughters hanging out with a bunch of delinquents and troublemakers. Why they never really said much about Hinata dating a troublemaker.

As long as the cops didn't drag their girls home by their collars, it didn't matter.

"What about us?"

Xin turned her head, looking at him with a strange look in her eyes. "I dunno'. Everyone seemed so happy that I was dating so…"

"You think they'll be happy when they find out what's been going on?"

"They don't have to know."

"Xin…"

"Gaara, _please_."

He sighed loudly, knowing he'd do just about anything for the tiny girl sitting next to him. "Fine, Xin, _fine_. But if that motherfucker comes near you again, if he even _breathes_ in your direction, tell me. I'm gonna fuck him up."

A sad smile pulled at her lips.

"Okay."

She doesn't date after that. She finishes her last year of high school and decided to take summer classes for a business degree. She wants to open a bakery, she tells them. Her parents could easily buy her bakery but she insisted on doing it herself. Hinata joins in on the summer classes, much to Naruto's dismay. None of them bring up Masaru but they were glad to see the relationship end. Gaara keeps Xin's secret to himself. Everything is fine.

Until it's not.

The basement was empty, for once, save for Gaara. He's not doing anything but watching some crappy tv show when Xin comes bouncing in. She looks happy, pink lips smiling down at him. "Hi," she chirped while throwing herself down next to him.

"Princess," he greeted tonelessly.

"Shouldn't you be at work?" she asked, tuning in on the shitty show. "Why're you watching this garbage?"

"I get a day off every now and then too," Gaara snorted. "And it's the only thing that's on."

"We have Netflix."

Gaara finally turned to her, smirking all the while. "Are you trying to Netflix and chill me?"

Her face flushed prettily and she snorted boyishly. "Don't be crude," she stuck her tongue out at him. "And anyway, you _wish_."

It was his turn to snort. "Yeah? So what if I do?"

Xin was rendered speechless. He's probably made a mistake, he realized during her silence. They've got a good thing going, a good friendship that balances them out well. There's absolutely no need to ruin it but too late for that. So he's wanted to kiss her since they all reunited, she didn't have to know that.

Things are not fine.

"Well?" Xin asked softly, not sounding like herself. "Do you?"

"What? Want to Netflix?"

"No," she gives him a cross look. "The other part."

They share a tense look, neither willing to budge. Things are definitely not fine. He's a fuckin' moron and he's probably just ruined their questionable friendship.

"Xin, listen, I—"

"I want to."

Things might be fine.

A part of him wanted to tell her that she has no business wanting that with him. She was such a nice girl with occasional bouts of violence and poor judgement skills. He was a literal walking disaster. He had no business fucking her up.

He pulled hard at a lock of her hair, not entirely expecting her to lean into his pulling. He kisses her hard, knowing she's never been kissed like that, bruising her mouth. They pull away, both sharing thoughtful looks, trying to decide if they liked it or not. And then Xin all but throws herself forward into his lap, nearly knocking him over in her haste to press her lips against his. Her kisses are just as hard, lips sucking hungrily at his bottom lip as he manages to get his arms around her. She's already moving on by the time his mind catches up with him, trailing frenzied kisses down his jaw and to his neck.

He tightened his arms around her waist, hauling her completely into his lap and pulling her lips back to him. They're pressed so tightly together that he's not sure where she ends and he begins but he feels nothing but absolute bliss. It was a shock that he even waited this long to kiss the she-Devil in the first place.

Something crashed above them upstairs, causing them to pull away. They both looked up towards the ceiling as Naruto and Sakura could be heard arguing above them. Xin's fingers tightened against his shoulders before gradually loosening, swollen lips forming into a pout. Using him as leverage, she climbed to her feet, blushing all the while. Ignoring his gaze, she turned away and began fixing her clothes. She mutters about their friends' awful timing, twisting her crooked shorts and smoothing the wrinkles from her nice blouse.

Gaara stood to his feet, towering over her just as she was turning back towards him. "Alright, we should..." she trailed off in confusion as Gaara snatched her hand up and promptly began dragging her towards the basement door. "Gaara? Where are we going?"

"My place," he replied gruffly, swinging the door open and marching her up the concrete stairs. Xin smiled so brightly it could have rivaled the sun. "No one's home."

She catches him by the shirt at the passenger door of his car, still grinning when she leans forward to kiss him again.

Maybe if they weren't so wrapped up in one another, they would have noticed Sakura and Naruto standing in the kitchen, watching them through the glass sliding door with different degrees of shock and happiness on their faces.

Naruto opened his fat ass mouth, no doubt to yell some provocative bullshit, but Sakura wordlessly slapped her hand against his mouth. Their group had been waiting literally _years_ for Gaara and Xin to get ovet themselves and just get together and she wasn't going to let Naruto ruin the moment.

" _Finally,_ " Sakura grinned giddily, hurrying to snap a picture of the two with her free hand. "God, I didn't think it was possible to be so damn dense," she agonized over her idiot friends, pulling her hand away from Naruto. "Maybe now Gaara won't be so grouchy all the time."

"That's his personality," Naruto pointed out as the two climbed into the car and took off. He busily reached for his own phone on the table, excited to tell Hinata about what they just witnessed. "I can't wait to tell Hinata.."

"Oh no you don't," Sakura smacked the phone out of his hand. The two were quiet, staring down at the phone now laying down facedown on the kitchen floor. God, please don't be cracked. "We shouldn't tell them!"

"Okay, yeah I get that but did you have to smack my phone out of my hand?"

"It already had a crack in it."

Naruto ignored her, scooping his phone up once more. "Now there's two cracks," he agonized, staring at the big ass crack in the corner. "Why can't we tell everyone? We've been wanting them to get together since high school."

"We're gonna see how long it takes those idiots to figure out they're dating."

"Oh. Sounds like fun!"

"Doesn't it?"

Everything is fine.

* * *

TeeBeMe: I was watching _That 70's Show and I realized Xin and Gaara are kind of similar to Hyde and Jackie so that's where this came. I thought it was cute._


	3. The Kids Are Alright

**The Kids Are Alright.**

* * *

"Well, this is a nice change of scenery."

"This is a prison cell."

"I can see that, you idiot, I was being sarcastic."

Naruto and Xin sat slumped against the wall of their jail cell, blankly staring forward. Naruto was noticeably bleeding, mostly from his nose, and was sporting a blackening eye. Xin, on the other hand, looked fine. Her hair was a disaster and her clothes were rumpled, stained and ripped, but she was fine.

"Gaara and Hinata are going to kill us."

Naruto nodded solemnly, pressing Xin's rumpled jacket to his nose. The sleeve of the jacket was soaked through and Xin was almost certain that his nose was gushing a bit too much blood. But she's far too tired to really be worried and he kind of deserved it for getting them arrested in the first place.

"In hindsight, they married us knowing full well what kind of people we are so they should know what type of shit was bound to happen," Xin pointed out almost tiredly, leaning over to rest against Naruto's shoulder.

"Hinata is gonna make me sleep on the couch for a week," Naruto whined, dreading the impending arrival of his wife. His wife was usually the even-tempered one but being dragged out of bed at 3 AM to bail her husband out would put a damper on that calm temper of hers.

"I'm supposed to be up in two hours to open the bakery. Gaara is going to kill me," Xin pouted, rubbing at her forehead. "He's probably going to give me the silent treatment for a week," she muttered sullenly. It didn't sound like such a bad punishment but motormouth that she was, she hated when Gaara would go on a weeklong binge of not speaking to her. "I blame you for this."

"Me?"

"Yes, you. Who's idea was it to go out for drinks? And why'd we have to go to that seedy ass bar, anyway? Why couldn't we have gone to a nice bar for once? Or hell, a restaurant."

"Cause we're not nice people, Xin."

"Clearly because _nice_ people don't start bar fights and get arrested."

"I did it for you."

Xin took a deep breath. "And that was sweet, really, but it wasn't worth being chased down by police officers and thrown into a dingy jail cell," she pointed out sourly. "Honestly…we're getting too old for bar fights, don't you think?"

"No one told you to jump in it with that glass bottle."

"Well, I couldn't just sit _there_."

"Well, now we're _sitting_ here, waiting for our respective spouses to come and bail us out after being apprehended for disorderly conduct and assault and battery."

Xin paused, picking up her head long enough to stare at her brother-in-law. Her face scrunched up and her nose wrinkled. "You've been reading that dictionary Gaara threw at your head last week?"

"Maybe."

A tired smile curled at Xin's lips, a snort escaping her mouth. "You know, you don't have to go punching people out just cause' they said some derogatory shit to me. It's not the first time and it won't be the last time."

"Okay but that doesn't make it okay. You're a human being, Xin, not a piece of meat. No one should tell you that you'd look better bent over the bar. Except for Gaara, if you two are into that sort of stuff."

Xin snorted again against his arm.

The quiet conversation was put on hold when a disgruntled office shuffled into the room. He eyed the duo, still sore about the punch Xin threw at him when she'd been dragged in. "Uzumaki and Sobaku?"

"We're the literary the only _two_ in here," Xin rolled her eyes and Naruto guffawed.

"Your bail has been posted," he grumped at her, unlocking the cell door. "Now please, get out," he slid the door open and motioned for them to just leave already. The two did as they were asked, offering snickers and apologetics smiles to the poor officer who was unlucky enough to deal with Uzumaki Naruto and Sobaku Xin. The smiles and snickers, however, were wiped clean once they get outside to see two very annoyed individuals. Hinata had the idea to at least pull on a jacket over her rumpled pajamas while Gaara looked like he literally rolled out of bed and grabbed his keys.

"Hi, honey!"

Gaara glared down at Xin, arms folded tightly across his chest. "Absolutely not, woman. Don't you fuckin' dare. Are you insane? It's three in the goddamn morning!"

Hinata's hands were on her hips as she looked back and forth between her husband and sister. She knew it was a bad idea to let them out on their own with no supervision. The two were practically notorious for the shenanigans. She blankly remembered their Junior year, when they'd almost been expelled. "Don't you two think you're a bit too old for bar fights?" she asked slowly, unimpressed.

"Well—"

"Evidently you can't think that since here we are," Hinata cut her sister off. "You have work in two hours, Xin. And Naruto, you work with children! You can't go to work with a black eye!"

"Not to mention your nose is gushing like a goddamn fountain. Is that the jacket I got Xin for her birthday?"

"...No…?"

"Alright, we're done here. Xin, get in the fuckin' car before I leave you here," Gaara grouched, turning sharply. Hinata rubbed at her temples but motioned for Naruto to follow suit. Xin and Naruto exchanged grins, knowing their significant others were upset but still made the drive to bail them out.

They were all alright.

* * *

TeeBeMe: Idiots/Partners in crime.


	4. soul mark

**Soul Marks.**

* * *

The Soul Mark was a load of shit.

Society put far too much stock in a bunch of words forming on their skins that would lead them to their soulmate one day. And why on earth was everyone so desperate for it anyway? What was so great about finding your soul mate one day? To Gaara, it seemed like a trap and a waste of time.

Besides, with his sort of luck, he probably didn't even have a soul mate. What person, ninja or not, would be unlucky enough to be his soulmate, demon of the sand? That is what they call him, isn't it? Maybe his soulmate would learn of his reputation before meeting and would stay away. Or hell, maybe with his temper and impatient nature, he'd kill his soulmate before she even got the chance to speak the words tattooed into his skin.

But like he said earlier, maybe he didn't have a soulmate. Maybe he was one of the unlucky ( _or lucky, if you asked him_ ) ones that just wasn't meant for a soulmate.

And then he turned twelve.

His soul mark had the nerve to form on his back, just between his shoulder blades. Not only did he have a soulmate but whoever she was, she had to be fuckin' difficult if the mark formed in such a complicated place. He spent a long time in the bathroom, studying four simple words.

 _ **Oh, for fuck sake.**_

Not only was she difficult, she was a vulgar idiot. Great. As if he didn't have enough on his plate, handling a violent demon sealed inside of him, his soulmate was a vulgar moron. Maybe she should have been the one stuck with the tanuki demon. She was certainly vulgar enough. But he doesn't meet anyone who greets him in such a way, so he goes on ignoring the mark.

Cue the annual Chunin Exams.

It's there when he first encounters his supposed soulmate. Although both of them are ignorant to their connection seeing as how not once did they interact for the duration of the fiasco of an exam. But she managed to stick out in her own special way. Which, with ninja like Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke or Rock Lee, was an amazing feat in itself. He remembered watching her during her preliminary round, the last fight that would take place. After watching her sister be beaten so easily by their own cousin, it was safe to say that most of the ninja chalked her up to be a failure as well.

Until she picked up a piece of rubble and chucked it straight at her opponent's head, warranting an instant KO. It was the shortest match but something about her casual attitude about knocking her opponent out was so off putting and eerie that it actually left a lasting impression on him. Which is impressive since he doesn't care about shit else except for killing Rock Lee and Uchiha Sasuke.

He has more pressing issues to worry about than some girl who liked throwing rubble around.

* * *

Unlike all of her girlhood friends, she doesn't really give two fucks about a soul mark. She was concerned about other things, like being a kickass kunoichi. And really, what did a kickass kunoichi need with a soulmate?

It was a crock of shit if anyone ever asked Xin and the others quickly learned not to ask her. She simply isn't interested in knowing who her destiny aligns with. While the other girls bicker over being Uchiha Sasuke's soulmate, she's busy learning how to work enough chakra into her punch to knock someone out cold. They won't even develop their marks until they're around twelve or thirteen so why the girls bickered was beyond her. She just hopes she's not unlucky enough to be Uchiha Sasuke's soul mate. She'd rather die than to be tied to that rude fuck.

The feeling is completely mutual.

A part of her wishes that she's one of the ones who doesn't get a soul mark. That maybe she was meant to be by herself. She couldn't see her being with any of the boys her age so if she's the odd one out, then hell, she'd be fine with that.

Sakura turns out to be Sasuke's soul mate. For some reason or another, that's a win for the pinkette. Xin wasn't so sure as Sasuke didn't have one romantic bone in his body but to each's own, she supposes. As long as it's not her. Naruto refuses to abide by the rules and continues to chase after Sakura, much to her own sister's dismay. Xin offers to knock some sense into him but Hinata refuses. Xin doesn't want to know what that kind of heartache even feels like.

But still, she watches as her friends discover who their soulmate are and a part of her begins to...wonder. They're all too young to pursue any romantic relationship of course but it's nice to know they won't have to go through the aches and pains of searching all over for their soulmate.

She tries to ignore Ino and Sakura's sympathetic looks. Haruka and Seiko offer words of encouragement, though she doesn't need it. She doesn't want a soul mate, goddammit. Lena-sensei insists that things will fall into place, but she doesn't care. What is so hard to get that she just wanted to be a great kunoichi and that she wasn't concerned about some dumb mark tattooed on her skin?

Her soul mark comes when she's fourteen.

Usually the words form along the arm or sometimes they're stamped against the ribcage. But not Xin. Of course not. Unlike everyone else and their complete normality, Xin's mark forms along the curving underline of her breast.

Fuckin' fantastic.

And what's more, it's not even a full sentence. Nope. Just one simple word.

 _ **Shit.**_

Which doesn't bode too well because honestly, whoever the hell her soulmate is could certainly do worse than her! The fact that her soulmate would be so disappointed once they meet is just fuel to the fire. Soul marks and mates and destiny are all just a crock of shit that she didn't have time for.

She's able to hide it since it's printed so intimately against her skin. She's just fine with everyone thinking she has no soulmate, that she's the unlucky one. They whisper and gossip about her like she's fuckin' deaf but she never shows them that they're wrong about her. She doesn't care because while everyone else is so busy worrying about a stupid ass mark, she's busy honing her skills.

Lena asks if she's trying to compensate. Xin swiftly tells her Sensei to fuck off.

She doesn't need a soul mate, goddammit.

* * *

Funnily enough, Gaara discovered his link to Xin first. He's fifteen going on sixteen and aspiring to become the next Kazekage. He worked to turn his life around, to change his murderous ways and learn to control the demon sealed inside of him. It's not easy, actually it's downright fuckin' hard but he's trying. He's trying his best and that's more than enough.

He's better.

His village was wary of him but that was to be expected. He'd been terrorizing the village for twelve straight years; they weren't going to forgive him in three short years. These things would take time but that was just fine. For now, he was satisfied that his relationship with his siblings had grown stronger. He eventually even told them about his soul mark tattooed to his back. It surprised them, as they believed he didn't have one but there it was on his skin, clear as day.

Someone was out there for him.

He wasn't in any rush to meet that someone but the fact that there was someone in the first place was simply amazing to them. He tried not to think too often about that someone. Everything would fall together when it was called for.

A simple mission kick started it all.

It was simple, escorting a ninja from Tanzaku-gai to Suna. He was a ninja looking to change residence and swear his loyalty to Suna. Simple enough, a C-ranked mission at the most.

Until it wasn't so simple.

The ninja was an actual runaway in possession of far too many secrets. Of course, the Sand Siblings were unaware of this until the ninja confessed halfway through their journey home. Not only did he have secrets, a tracking team had been sent after him. He wouldn't say where the team was from or what secrets he held but suddenly the mission was a B-ranked mission. Not that the three of them were incapable but hell if things weren't about to get messy.

A team finally caught up to them.

A shitload of weapons landed in front of Temari, stopping her from going any farther. Luckily his sister didn't spook easily. She took a careful step back before wheeling around to see who'd just tried to sever her damn foot from her leg.

Konoha ninja.

Oh great.

No one liked dealing with Konoha's ninja. They were a bunch of morons with no self-preservation about themselves. They accomplished their missions, whether it killed them or not. And fuck were they hard to kill. There was something so deeply rooted in them, so stubborn that they just refused to fuckin' die.

Gaara recognized Xin almost immediately. She hadn't grown much taller but her hair was longer and she'd grown more into her features, but he knew that girl anywhere. The one who'd thrown rubble during her preliminary match and won. She was wrapped in a short black skirt paired with an armored fishnet crop top and a dark purple vest. He couldn't see a soul mark anywhere. Not that he was really looking.

She scanned the four of them, starting with their runaway ninja and ending with Gaara. Her mouth pinched at the sight of him. Somehow their runaway managed to enlist the help from the Demon of the Sand.

" _Oh, for fuck sake."_

Immediately everything seemed brighter to him as he stared at Xin. Out of everything he could've possibly expected her to say, that sentence was the last. All these years wondering who the hell his foul-mouthed soulmate was, and he'd encountered her all that time ago during their Chunin Exams.

Well, shit.

"Xin, please, let us handle this," Seiko quickly said before Xin could say more.

"Yeah, shut the hell up for once. This doesn't have to be a fight," Haruka sneered at her teammate. Xin only rolled her eyes but obediently kept quiet with crossed arms.

"There's been a mix up," Seiko said while stepping forward from her teammates. "He's a runaway and has many of Konoha's secrets. Please hand him over and we'll have our Lady Hokage send a letter explaining the circumstances."

Temari glanced at Gaara and Kankuro with a frown. They didn't fail missions, but the ninja lied to them about his intentions. And besides, one runaway wasn't worth having to fight Konoha ninja. She knew good and well that if they refused, the trio of girls would take him by force. They couldn't be sure about the redhead and the blonde but they knew the Hyuga would be a problem during a fight. Her brothers didn't offer any protest when she nodded to the terms. "All right, fine."

Seiko smiled cheerfully. "Wonderful!" she clapped her hands together. "Come along, Yamagata. You'll have to answer to Lady Tsunade now."

Yamagata didn't immediately move, causing Kankuro to shove him forward with an impatient scowl. Seiko continued to smile while effortlessly catching him. Like cargo she handed him off to Xin. Without warning, the shorter woman kicked at the back of his legs to force him to his knees. Before anyone could stop her, she took hold of the man's head and snapped his neck. The clearing was silent except for the loud crack echoing off of the trees.

" _Ho-ly_ shit," Kankuro said first.

Now don't get him wrong, Gaara was well versed in the murderous arts. There was a time where he reveled in it and he'd seen others kill as well. He was not new to killing, especially when a mission called for it. But watching his soulmate casually snapping a man's neck without blinking was both off putting and impressive.

The body dropped to the ground and Xin crouched over it. Methodically she began picking through his clothes, casually pulling out stolen scrolls. Haruka pinched the bridge of her nose while Seiko continued to smile. "Thank you for your cooperation. We'll be sure to send a letter so that this isn't considered a failure," Seiko said, her smile never budging. Honestly, they weren't sure which was more unsettling, Xin brutally committing a murder in broad daylight or Seiko continuing to smile like that shit didn't just occur.

The Suna team were the first to take their leave. There wasn't any reason for them to hang around since their mission turned out to be a dud. Gaara glanced at Xin one last time, eyes scanning her small form for her soul mark. It was nowhere within plain sight and he figured that it could be on her back or somewhere hidden under her clothes. She happened to glance up, looking at him through thick eyelashes. It was enough to stop him in his tracks, pinning in his place. She said nothing but offered a smile before her gaze dropped back to the task at hand.

And that was that.

He guessed that they weren't meant for one another right at that moment and honestly that was fine. He didn't have the time nor the patience to deal with romantic relationships and who the hell knew when he would have the time. Besides, Xin didn't seem at all pressed about her soul mark anyway since she didn't bother to even display it.

She was pretty and she was a capable ninja so he knew she wouldn't get herself killed anytime soon. They had time to meet again.

* * *

They didn't meet again for another two years. Not that it was either of their fault. They simply didn't have a chance with everything that happened over the span of two short years.

Such as the Kazekage dying and being resurrected ( _and honestly that was fuckin' wild_ ), Konoha being attacked and destroyed by the leader of Akatsuki, Uchiha Sasuke losing his shit and causing issues at the Hokage's summit, several notable deaths that rocked the world and one Shinobi war that involved undead Uchihas, reanimated ninja and that one psychotic Goddess ass that nearly killed them all. There was also that bit where Hanabi and Hinata were both kidnapped by that Toneri weirdo and the moon was nearly destroyed in the bid to get Hinata back. Honestly Xin wasn't sure what the fuck life turned into but it sure as hell wasn't normal.

And during that entire time, she had yet to meet her soul mate. Not that she was just waiting around for him but Hell, you'd think she'd meet him at least once.

He could've died during the war. They'd won overall but lost many Shinobi, including her entire team and Neji. Soul mark or not, no one was safe when Death decided to reach out. Xin always wondered why Tenten's mark was faded against her skin and when Neji died, it all made sense. So maybe her soulmate died in the war but then again, her mark did not fade like Tenten's mark. It was a solid pitch black, standing out against her skin. Even after all these years, she managed to keep it away from curious minds. Even her sisters were kept in the dark.

"You're not the least bit curious?" Ino pressed one sunny day. Xin sat in between Hinata and Sakura on the bench, absently twirling her dango stick.

"Curiosity killed the cat," she answered vaguely, happily reaching for another stick.

"Don't give me that. Something has to be wrong if you don't have a mark."

Sakura glared at her childhood best friend, " _Ino."_

Xin paused; brows high on her forehead as she regarded the blonde. "I have a mark," she said after a silent second. She didn't really care either way, but she knew her friends wouldn't be happy if she continued to keep her mark hidden away. She'd been focused on honing her skills this entire time and didn't have time for romantic nonsense. But hell, she was one of the best and they were in an era of peace. She had nothing to prove.

"What?"

"What do you mean you have one? What's it say?" Tenten demanded over their combined squabbling. Xin tried her best not to laugh.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Hinata frowned softly, feeling the most betrayed.

"How long have you had it?" Sakura questioned.

Ino waved her hands in a bid to get them all to shut up. "I think the real question is—" she reached forward to grab at Xin's bare arm. "— _where_ the hell is it?!" Ino demanded, pointing out that her mark was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't on her ribcage nor her legs as they'd seen her bare flesh as well. Couldn't be on her back either. Xin huffed with a red face, having always hated the placement of her mark.

"Under the curve of my breast," she finally admitted, drawing her finger under her breast to explain its hidden nature.

"Oh, that's intimate," Sakura blushed with a hand pressed to her mouth. "And what does it say?"

Xin huffed for a second time. This was exactly why she wanted to keep her mark under wraps. Not only was it in an intimate spot, it didn't sound all that exciting to meet her. " _Shit_ ," she finally confessed with a hard frown. "My soul mark says ' _shit'_."

There was a collective silence as the other four girls stared at Xin with different degrees of surprise. "Oh dear…." Hinata whispered under her breath. No wonder her sister kept it hidden. That didn't tell of a happy meeting.

"You have _got_ to be lying."

Xin rolled her eyes so hard they could've fallen out of her head. "The fuck would I gain by lying about that, Ino?"

"I don't know but your sense of humor sucks."

Xin snorted and reached for the edge of her top. She curled her fingers under the tight fishnet armor she wore under her crop top and lifted it carefully. Her friends leaned forward to see, watching with wide eyes as the tattooed flesh was revealed. In black letters was one simple word:

 _ **Shit**_.

Plain as day, there it was. With a disgruntled grunt, she pulled her fingers away and readjusted her top. "Now do you believe me?" she asked rhetorically with another violent roll of her eyes.

"Wow," Tenten spoke first, eyebrows raised.

"Wasn't expecting that," Sakura muttered into her hand. "How long have you had it?"

"I was fourteen."

"Four years ago, and you still haven't met him?" Hinata reached over to pat her sister on the shoulder. "I'm sure there's an explanation for that, don't worry."

Xin shrugged carelessly. "I'm not worried, I don't even care."

Ino frowned, "but don't you want to be swept off your feet?"

"Sai doesn't even sweep _you_ off of your feet."

"Okay, if you're going to be a Negative-Natsumi like this—"

"I'm just saying. Sai has the romantic and emotional depth of a caterpillar."

Ino reached forward to pinch at Xin's shoulder. "Oh, shut up," she huffed while dodging Xin's swiping hand. "I'm just saying, we're in a time of peace. Seiko and Haruka are gone but I think they would want you to get on with your life."

Xin stared up at the blonde, a mournful smile slowly making its way onto her face. "He doesn't sound very excited to meet me," she said instead of commenting on the mention of her teammates. She didn't talk much about her dead team and usually avoided it all together. She wasn't sentimental, she just didn't see the point of talking about dead people.

"Like Hinata said, there has to be a reasonable explanation for that," Sakura reassured her with an optimistic smile. "You just have to wait for the right moment."

Xin sighed heavily but agreed with her friends. She knew there was no point in trying to argue their points. It was one of the reasons why she never talked about her soul mark in the first place. She didn't care to hear all of the reassurances that her soulmate would come along and then everything in life would be peachy keen.

They separated after that, each going their different ways for whatever reason. Xin was sure that they each had some date or something, or in Sakura's case, something to do with Tsunade. She hadn't been listening. With another sigh, she made her way to the hospital. Honestly having _shit_ printed on her body couldn't be the worst thing in life. At least she didn't have her own fuckin' name on her like Sasuke. Hell, it was even better than having a long ' _umm_ ' like Naruto. Her sister had been really shy back then, okay? It's not her fault and Naruto didn't seem that upset about it.

She wasn't getting any younger though.

Xin pressed her finger to her mouth thoughtfully, too busy zoned out to really pay attention to her surroundings. It didn't come as a shock when she rounded the corner and ran face first into someone. And shit, she must have been walking fast because she bounced backwards and landed square on her ass. So much for being graceful. Xin sat in a heap, looking like the dumbass that she was and groaned loudly. There would definitely be a bruise forming on her ass in a couple of minutes. Opening her eyes and ready to unleash Hell on Earth, she glanced up only to pause.

" _Shit_."

* * *

"I'm just worried, is all."

Kankuro grunted as Temari continued to rant about one thing or another. He was pretty sure that she'd had some sort of disagreement or something with her lazy ass of a soulmate and now he had to suffer through one of her agitated rants. "Worried about what?" he asked, though he knew she'd be pissed that she was being tuned out.

Temari glared at him but sighed instead of lashing out. "About Gaara. He hasn't found his soulmate yet. Everybody his age has already met their soulmate instead of him. It's not like we don't know if he has one or not. He does but he won't look for her."

Kankuro snorted loudly. "What're you talking about? Gaara knows who his soulmate is."

"Excuse me?"

Well, shit. Maybe he wasn't supposed to tell his sister that. At least not yet. Now if she annoyed Gaara about his knowing his soulmate, the youngest brother would know it was Kankuro who spilled the beans in the first place. "Erm...well, yeah. Gaara knows her, he met her before already."

"When?"

"When he was fifteen or sixteen? Before he became Kazekage. Before you jump to conclusions, he knows it's her, but she doesn't know it's him. He didn't get a chance to say anything to her when he realized it."

"What? He's known for that long? Why am I just finding out about this?"

Kankuro rubbed the back of his neck. "Don't be upset, Temari. It's not something a guy would want to talk about with his sister. It's easier because we're brothers, less awkward. No guy wants to talk about soulmates with his older sister."

Temari puffed her cheeks childishly, feeling comepltely offended. She could not believe the nerve of it all. Gaara could talk to her about these things! Besides, she was the only one who actually had a relationship with her soulmate in the first place. She had more experience than Kankuro. She crossed her arms for added effect. "Did he tell you anything about her?"

"Whoever she is, we know of her and that he said she was someone who could take care of herself just fine. Try not to worry so much, you know these things can't be rushed," Kankuro tried to placate her waning temper with easy words. Temari rolled her eyes and tightened her arms across her chest. Honestly, she was more upset that Gaara had kept this from her for so long but told Kankuro. She didn't care what he said about them being brothers, she was their sister. She mattered too, dammit.

"You look pissed."

Temari tried not to violently pout as Gaara stepped out of Tsunade's office. He glanced in between his older siblings, frowning all the while. "You told her, didn't you?"

"It was an accident!"

Gaara rolled his eyes and stepped around the two. "Temari, everything is fine."

"Fine? If you know who your soulmate is then why aren't you with her?"

"Because the time wasn't right. How was I supposed to balance a soulmate with everything that went on?" he asked, not really looking for an answer. "Too much went on right after meeting her."

Temari didn't seem satisfied but there was no arguing his point. Too much had gone on and having a soulmate during everything that had gone on would have weighed heavily on Gaara as a burden. Constantly worrying about her could have cost him. "Okay, fine but we live in an era of peace now. Why haven't you found her again?"

"Why do you think we're in Konoha?"

Temari gaped with wide eyes. "She's a Konoha ninja? I wasn't expecting that at all."

Kankuro blinked, "neither was I."

"Konoha ninja are so…"

"There isn't one word that could accurately describe them," Kankuro dryly commented with Temari readily agreeing.

"Shikamaru is a Konoha ninja."

Temari blushed and pointedly looked away. "This isn't about Shikamaru. This is about _your_ soulmate. Do you think she'll come to Suna?"

Gaara became quiet as he thought about the question. He doubted that woman would just pack her life up immediately to leave for Suna with him. Unlike her peers, she didn't grow up knowing him. She wouldn't just jump straight into a relationship with him without actually knowing him and it was entirely understandable. They were just strangers who knew of one another in passing, nothing more. She probably knew more about him since he was kage.

"Not immediately."

"You're going to have a long-distance relationship?"

"If she's willing."

"And she isn't?"

"I can't force her to do anything she doesn't want to do. She has a right to choose."

That made Temari smile. She reached over and patted him on the back. "I hope she chooses right. She would be lucky to have you."

Gaara didn't get a chance to answer when a short woman came swinging around the corner, lost in thought. She crashed right into him, yelping when she fell backwards on her ass. He stared down at the cringing woman on her ass, watching as she opened her mouth and looked up but stopped abruptly.

" _Shit_ ," he uttered before he could stop himself.

Xin didn't say anything, her mind reeling by as the world seemingly brighten around her. She was disturbed as everything just seemed to click into place. She paled considerably, which was almost funny since she was naturally pale to begin but the color did gradually drain from her face. Her big eyes widened even more if that was possible, eyebrows vanishing under the veil of her bluntly cut bangs.

"Damn, Gaara, how hard did you walk into her?" Kankuro peered around his brother to get a good look at her. "Or hell, what are you, eighty-two pounds?" he grinned down at her small form. Temari slapped Kankuro upside the head before shoving him away. It sank in immediately who this girl was just from the odd looks on their faces. Gaara's soulmate had literally run straight into him. She carefully nudged at Gaara's side, hoping he would do something besides staring down at her.

Gaara moved first, sticking a handout towards her. She eyed it warily, still looking quite pale. Slowly she reached for his hand only to visibly jump when an odd feeling rushed up her arm from his touch. She nearly pulled back but Gaara held fast, pulling her to her feet effortlessly. She still had yet to say anything as realization made itself comfy across her features.

Xin tried to pull her hand away again but Gaara still held on, not allowing her to flee. She knew she had a soulmate, there was no denying the goddamn swear word that was printed on her that just left his mouth, but shit she wasn't expecting the fuckin' Kazekage. Of all the Shinobi she could be tied to by the red string, it had to be the Kazekage.

For shit's sake.

"What's the matter?" Kankuro asked, completely missing the mood as he rubbed the back of his head. Temari sighed loudly and rubbed harshly at her eyes. She leaned towards him again, cupping her hand and whispering into his ear, quickly explaining what was going on right in front of them. His eyes widened gradually as Temari hissed into his ear before a shit eating grin spread across his lips. "Holy shit," he snickered boyishly. "That's one way to meet."

"Did you…uh…" Xin began before pressing her lips together. "Did you say ' _shit'_ just now? Is that what I heard just now?" she asked carefully. This entire time she'd been convinced that her soulmate said ' _shit'_ because he'd been disappointed that he was connected to her. She might be a bit of dumbass, but he didn't exactly look disappointed in seeing her.

"I did," Gaara answered truthfully with a hint of confusion. It was odd because he wasn't even the type to swear all that much. Maybe in frustration or in battle but not because a girl had run face first into his chest. This entire time he thought his soulmate was a vulgar idiot because he was unfortunate enough to have the word _fuck_ printed on his skin when she also had a swear word hidden on her somewhere.

What type of chaotic shit…

"Right," Xin nodded slowly. "I thought so," she sounded like she was talking more to herself than to him. "Well, this is an unforeseen development that I was not prepared for," Xin said in the same airy tone of hers, like it was all so hard to believe. She took a moment to look at him from head to toe but his clothes stopped her search short. His long overcoat hid wherever his mark was. "Oh shit," it seemed like it really set in for her at that moment. "My fuckin' soulmate is the Kazekage, oh my God…"

"Maybe we should go…" Temari said carefully, knowing how awkward things could get. She grabbed Kankuro by his arm and yanked him back the way they'd just came from. He loudly protested, wanting to see how things would play out but Temari wasn't having any of that. She continued to drag him with her, sheepishly waving at the two.

It was quiet for a long moment before Xin got her wits about her. "That's the best you could come up?" she asked abruptly, confusing him. "I have to walk around with ' _shit'_ on my goddam body! Do you know how fucked up that is? I thought something was wrong with me this whole time!" she snapped; hand still clasped tightly in Gaara's grip. If Haruka and Seiko were still alive, they would comment that her getting angry was just so typical of her. When she didn't know how to deal with something emotional, she tended to get angry. She really needed to work on that.

Gaara felt his temper flare just a tad. She had no room to talk about fucked up first words. "You have room to talk," he replied in a stone-cold voice. It wasn't like him to usually lose his temper, so he tried his best to get a good grip on it.

"Me asking you if you said ' _shit'_ does not count!"

"What? That's not the first thing you've said to me," he rolled his eyes. "The first thing you've ever said to me was ' _oh, for fuck sake'_."

Xin blinked up at him, head twitching back on her neck. That was not the first thing she said to him, she would know, it only happened moments ago. She came to a screeching halt, eyes becoming wide. Oh, dear God. What if she was his soulmate but he wasn't hers? Could that actually happen? Was that a thing? For Kaguya's sake, leave it to her to have a difficult soulmate.

"What are you talking about?"

Gaara took note of the panic in her eyes and realized that maybe she didn't remember meeting him all those years ago in the forest. "We ran into each other when we were fifteen or sixteen. Your team was after a runaway ninja," he began to explain, watching as her eyebrows creased. "You snapped his neck."

A lightbulb went off over her head as she recalled that memory. If he thought it was cute, he didn't say as much. "You were the first one to say something after seeing me. You said ' _Oh, for fuck sake_ ' and your teammates told you to shut up and you didn't say anything else after that."

Xin was busy trying to recall the entire mission. It was slow to resurface but once it did, she paled once more. Bummer, she was just getting some color back. She remembered now, becoming fed up once she realized that she might have to fight the Demon of the Sand for some dumbass runaway with a couple of stolen scrolls on him. Gaara was right, she could remember that exact sentence falling from her mouth.

Oh, hell.

"So, you're telling me that you've known that we were soulmates all this time? And that we both have swear words on us?"

"Yes and it would seem so."

"Oh my…" she trailed off with a hand pressed to her cheek. Well, this was entirely embarrassing. This entire time she'd been pissed at the swear word when he also had one. It didn't make things better but at least they were in the same boat. "Well…" she blinked several times. "What do we do now?"

Gaara shrugged casually, it wasn't like he knew much about dating his soulmate. "Whatever you want to do," he decided to leave it up to her.

Xin smiled slowly and then with a flirtatious wink, "Ah…well…if you show me your mark, I'll show you mine…."

* * *

TeeBeMe: I mean I thought it was funny lol. Imagine two idiots walking around with curse words on their bodies because they're dumb and chaotic.


	5. fake dating trope

**fake dating trope**

* * *

So, she's not the best at making life choices. What's new? She really doesn't _need_ anyone to tell her that, she was fully aware of the fact. But still...there was something about the text messages shining brightly into her one eye that was opened that just spelled trouble for her. For a moment, she thought of ignoring them all together but that would only make things worse.

' _What the fuck Hyuga.'_

' _Since when did this even happen?'_

' _Wake up you asshole!'_

' _You sleep like the dead.'_

Xin rubs tiredly at her face, still buried deeply under her mountains of blankets. She tries hard to concentrate on Karin's barrage of text messages, blearily wondering what the hell she'd done to warrant such abuse so early in the morning.

It was actually two in the afternoon but dammit, she's hungover.

' _What did I do?'_

A reply was sent immediately, a blurry picture popping up in their chat. It's several seconds of staring at it to realize that it was a video and not an actual picture.

God, she was so trashed. She weakly smacks at the video, trying her best to press the big ass play button and failing several times. Never again, she thinks miserably, never again was she drinking. Finally— _fuckin' finally_ —she gets the goddamn video to play.

The camera is trained on her back as she sits at the bar with loud club music playing in the background. Her face is turned towards the left, lips puckered, and visible eyebrow raised as she watches something offscreen. Rock Lee. Rock Lee had been doing this drunken dance and somehow managed to do a handstand without falling over and breaking a fuckin' bone or two. It was impressive, really, judging by the look on her face. However, it's the heavily tattooed arm anchored to her waist that has Karin freaking out. The brightly colored limb is attached to a wide torso, black t-shirt stretched attractively across broad shoulders. An appreciative hum escapes Xin as the video pans to the right falling right on….

Oh, holy hell.

That's fuckin' Gaara.

Fuckin' Gaara.

Campus' resident bad boy and the bane of her existence. Okay, well maybe not the 'bane' of her existence, per se. That would suggest that Gaara ruined her life at some point and that just wasn't the case. The problem with being the bane of her existence suggests that he'd have to acknowledge her first.

Which, he'd never done.

See, Sobaku Gaara and Hyuga Xin were on opposite ends of the spectrum. He was the heavily tattooed bad boy, a former gangbanger, or so the rumors say. She, on the other hand, was some uppity rich girl that hadn't realized that being poor was an actual thing and not just an urban legend told to scare curious rich girls into staying the fuck away from normal people prior to college.

And Xin, sweet, dumbass Xin, had fallen head over heels for him the moment she spotted him across the coffee shop her first year at college. Of course, she'd been warned off from even approaching him. Dude was a whole gangbanger and Xin had no skills whatsoever that involved the real world.

So, she crushed on him from afar.

Which, _no_ , despite what Tenten says, does not make her a creepy stalker. It doesn't, goddammit.

Anyway…

The point, goddammit, was that for some unknown reason, Gaara was hugged up on her at some shitty club and she couldn't remember why.

The video continues to play, showing the attractive veins in Gaara's neck as he leans back far enough to peer around her to watch Lee as well. There's a loud crash offscreen followed by a drunken chorus of _'oooh shit'_ and someone cackling insanely. Club Xin and Gaara both cringe before turning at the same time to look at one another, grins stretching across their faces as they share a laugh at poor Lee's expanse.

What. The. Hell.

Xin drops her phone and presses her face into the mattress, fingers sinking deeply into her hair that looks like a bird's nest. She closes her eyes tightly and continues prodding at her scalp, as if she could simply pick the memory from her brain.

Wait...

Oh yeah.

 _Last Night._

She's the Queen of Bad Decisions.

She realizes this, of course, after Masaru has not only the nerve to break up with her but to do it by cheating on her with that redhead amazon, Yoshiko. But honestly, she's not all that surprised that it even went down the way it did. And really, she's not broken-hearted or something ridiculous like that. They'd only been dating a month or so, after all.

She's embarrassed.

She's Hyuga Xin, for shit's sake. She isn't supposed to get cheated on. She holes up in her apartment for a good week after the blow up, not sure how she'll ever show her face in public again. She's dumb but she certainly isn't deaf. She was acutely aware of the rumors spreading about her. That she was frigid and uppity, thought she was too good. That Masaru fianlly pried her legs apart and wasn't satisfied with her. That she was lazy and expected him to do all the work.

And honestly, what the hell.

She wasn't frigid or uppity. Clueless, maybe. Fuckin' dumb, okay that was fair. But frigid? How the fuck was she frigid? What, she doesn't drop her panties for Masaru and that just makes her a prude? And who the hell is even spreading these rumors, anyway? Either she's frigid or she's lazy at sex. She couldn't be both.

That's why she finds herself wandering down south street, looking for the bar Ino insists upon. She's on a mission to prove that she isn't frigid and that Masaru cheating on her wasn't enough to shatter her down into a simpering mess. So, she squeezes herself into the tightest pair of jeans Ino could find and a cropped tube top hugging her slight torso just right and ventures out into Downtown.

And promptly runs right into Yoshiko in front of the club.

Perfect. Just perfect. Yoshiko is tall and delicately structured with slim curves and flirtatious eyes. The complete opposite of Xin's short stature and well...okay she's not fat but she's not slim either. She's somewhere stuck in the middle.

 _Thick_ , is what Karin likes to say. That's even her contact name in her phone, _Thiccums._

Yoshiko leers at her, smiling as if she'd won the summer Olympics or something. "Oi, Hyuga, so nice to see you!" she crows in a voice dipped in honey. "Aw, coming to the club _alone_? My, my, how brave."

Xin almost hits her. Seriously. She almost hits her with a closed fit and a vicious snarl to match. She knows when she's being mocked and right now, Yoshiko is mocking the living shit out of her.

"I'm actually meeting someone."

The statement falls from her mouth before she could really think about it. She's lost her shit; she knows damn well she's lost her shit. Liars never prosper, she reminds herself. The term is actually _cheaters_ never prosper but fuck that, it doesn't apply right now. Yoshiko's pink mouth hangs open and Xin considers telling her that the pink clashes garishly with her red hair. She cannot believe this is the girl Masaru cheated on her with, an idiot who doesn't even know her color wheel, but keeps the comment to herself. Birds of a feather flock together, she reminds herself in an attempt to feel better.

It doesn't really work.

What does work, however, is the leggy blonde that just materializes out of thin fuckin' air to wrap Xin up in a friendly hug. Ino is tall, beautiful and fun to be around. Unlike Yoshiko who knows shit about what colors makes her look good and what doesn't, Ino is wrapped in a tight purple dress that compliments her blonde hair and blue eyes. She looks good, too good, but one can only expect that from a part-time model and full-time babe. "Oh, you made it!"

Xin can smell the lingering scent of fruity alcohol on Ino's breath. It's not heavy enough to disgust her but it causes her to be aware that Ino was probably on her seventh shot since texting her eight minutes ago.

Impressive, really.

"I thought you'd never come. You shouldn't keep a man waiting, you know. They have fragile egos."

Wait, what?

Yoshiko chuckles, "what man?"

Ino notices Yoshiko at that point and she stares at the redhead for a long moment before sharply turning away. Even Xin cringes at the blatant dismissal but she can't find it in her to care. Clearly Ino is a ride or die bitch. Yoshiko flounders like an open-mouthed fish as Ino pulls Xin into the club.

Heat settles over her, heavy and muggy as pulsing bodies rub up against her. It's not her cup of tea but Ino moves expertly through the crowd, using her long freakish legs to look for someone. Xin doesn't even bother, she can't see much at her pathetic height. She tugs Xin along towards the bar, leaning across it and flashing a generous amount of cleavage in exchange for two cups filled to the brim with who knows what.

The cup is shoved at Xin and she has no choice but to take it lest she wants it running down her top. "It tastes like fruit!" Ino grins, pressing her own cup to her lips and downing half the contents effortlessly.

Ino is a fuckin' alcoholic.

But Xin isn't frigid, and Yoshiko is right fuckin' there, breathing down her neck, so she follows Ino's lead and downs half her cup.

Instant regret.

By the grace of God, she gets it down and doesn't immediately start coughing and gagging, so win for her. But God Almighty, how can anyone stomach that shit? People did this for fun? This was how college students destressed? What was wrong with stuffing one's face with unhealthy snacks and binge-watching Netflix's _The Witcher_?

"Ah...oh...there! Gaara's waiting for you. He almost left!"

Ino smacks Xin's back and she nearly loses her cup. Which, in hindsight, wouldn't be so bad because she isn't sure she has the stomach to down the rest of the shit sloshing in the plastic cup. She looks up into the direction Ino is rudely pointing in only to come to a hard pause when she realizes what Ino said. Gaara. Sobaku Gaara, that redhead tattooed beefcake that she's been salivating over since freshmen year was looking right at her and Ino.

And oh, he's wearing a shirt that does everything it possibly can for his physique. It stretches enticingly across his chest, hiding away and hinting at the dozen tattoos decorating his torso, arms and shoulders. His muscles flex attractively with each breath he takes, reaching to Lee for the offered red cup.

Oh, heavens no.

Ino and Gaara make for a weird friendship but it's there. But maybe that's just Ino's weird talent of being friends with damn there anybody. When Ino claimed over text that she had _just the thing_ to cheer Xin up, she was not expecting tall, dark and tattooed to be _just the thing._

Oh God, Ino was dragging her to him.

Xin almost— _almost_ —punches Ino in the back of the head to escape but of course she can't because Yoshiko chooses that _exact_ moment to stick her dumbass nose into her business. "Oh, my, when you said you were here to meet someone. I didn't expect it to be _Gaara_. I thought you were here to pick Ino up or something. Tell me, does he know it's you that's supposed to be meeting him? He's probably disappointed."

She's going to hit Yoshiko; she's going to be arrested for assault and her fuckin' parents are going to have a field day bailing her out of jail. It's evident in her face and just as she takes a step towards the other woman, a heavy arm settles over her shoulders.

Tattooed fingers clutch lightly at a red solo cup, resting it against her chest. Rings decorate the inked skin and it's right then and there that Xin realizes she may or may not have a kink for hands. Tattooed hands with hard veins and rings and…

Gaara is looking down at her from the corner of his eye.

Someone help her.

Gaara taps the cup against her chest and she's suddenly aware that her own cup is gone from her hands. The taller redhead leans down towards her, mouth resting against her heated skin to mutter lowly into her ear, "it's Pepsi."

Gratefully she takes it. She mumbles a thanks, finding the fizzy drink freakishly interesting in a bid to avoid the gaze that she can just _feel._ Ino is conveniently gone, having fucked off to who knows where and leaving Xin trapped between two tall redheads.

What were the odds?

"Oh, Gaara," Yoshiko all but purrs, tipping forward on her toes in his direction. "I had no idea you were meeting Xin, _of all people_. Ino can be quite the trickster, can't she?" she muses with puckered lips. Her implications are self-explanatory, and Xin has to remind herself to count back from ten because violence is frowned upon. The fact that she was suggesting that any self-respecting person had to be _tricked_ into dating her was enough to send her temper over the edge.

Gaara still has his eyes on her while she's counts back from ten. There's something in the curve of his mouth that suggests he's entirely too amused by her low mumbling.

" _We_ could have some real fun, though."

Xin pauses in her counting to glance sharply at Yoshiko, lips twisting up in disgust. Jesus Fuck, first Masaru and now Gaara? Could Xin have _anything_ to herself? Not that Gaara was even hers to begin with but Yoshiko didn't have to know that. In a bid to curve the urge of throwing her drink straight at Yoshiko, she guzzles half of it. Luckily, it's not even spiked, and the soda goes down smoothly.

Gaara finally looks away from Xin, all amusement melting away to give Yoshiko his unamused attention. "Who're you?"

Xin snorts into the cup, choking and gagging once more as she turns her face away and struggles to regain her composure. Ino and Gaara are co-conspirators, she thinks, because there's no way they both can get her to nearly choke to death over drinks without planning the shit.

Yoshiko is also taken aback but she has the good sense to simply gape up at him. Or, at directly at him because unlike Xin, she's actually damn there Gaara's height. Gaara clearly doesn't give two fucks about Yoshiko because he's pulling Xin away at that moment, not even offering a backwards glance. Harsh, she thinks, very harsh but hell if she can really care. Yoshiko is kind of a bitch.

The muggy air melts away into a cool breeze and Xin slowly realizes that Gaara led her back outside, the music loud enough to shake the walls they lean against. "Clubs aren't your thing, are they?" he asks with a sprinkle of amusement in those pretty eyes of his. She flounders for a moment, blushing heavily.

"What makes you say that?"

"You look like a confused baby deer."

That's fair, she thinks, because she's heard that before. She gets this wide-eyed look whenever faced with unfamiliar territory. Kind of like right now because Gaara is unfamiliar territory. When Ino insisted that she had _just the thing_ , she didn't realize that thing would be sitting in an alleyway with Gaara, of all people. "Un," she blows a raspberry, childish, yes but she does it anyway. "You didn't have to...you know...un…" she stutters and suddenly she feels a lot like her shy sister. "She probably thinks we're dating or something now. Un...I may have told her that I was here to meet someone."

"Yeah?"

"Well, I _had_ to," she's on the defensive. "My ex-boyfriend cheated on me with _her_ and do you have any idea how it looks to show up at the same place alone? I can't let her think she's won!" she explains quickly, realizing how fuckin' dumb and superficial she sounds. Gaara is nodding sagely along to her words but she can't help thinking he thinks she's out of her mind. Who puts that much stock into what others think of them?

She does, dammit.

"There's a girl in there that's obsessed with me," he says completely out of nowhere. She squints up at him. "Maybe Matsuri'll think we're dating and finally leave me alone."

"You could just tell her to fuck off."

"So could you."

Okay, he's got her there.

"Well," she mutters with her cup to her mouth again. "You could do worse, I think," she huffs. And he could do worse than her. At least she's somewhat attractive, well, depending on whether or not she was his type. Okay, she totally wasn't his type, but she was still pretty, whether or not she's his type. She's a goddamn catch. Sort of.

"A lot worse," Gaara agrees and she's not sure if she's insulted or not.

She drums her fingers against the body of her cup. "Sounds like you only rescued me to use me."

"I'm sorry, why does that chick think we're dating?"

"That's fair."

There's a silence that hangs over them but Gaara looks completely at ease with her. She finds the ground rather interesting but that's only because there's a puddle of questionable liquid that's threatening to ruin her boots. They were expensive and she doubts her parents would buy her another pair if she tells them that she ruined them outside of some seedy ass club.

"They're not going to believe it after only seeing us together once."

Xin blinks out of her stupor, lips puckering as his works sink in. "….What?" she's slow to react, blinking hard.

"You want to show up your ex-boyfriend and his new girl and I want Matsuri off of my back. They're not going to believe it if we don't keep this up, you know," Gaara explains shortly, running a hand through his red hair. Xin vaguely wonders if it's natural or not and then mutely realizes that it doesn't have shit to do with anything.

"You want to… _pretend_ to date? What is this, some K-Drama?"

"You watch K-Drama?"

"That's beside the point," she says quickly, not in the mood to defend watching K-Drama. That wasn't anyone's goddamn business and sometimes it made her feel better about her shitty dating life. "You actually want to _fake_ date me?"

Gaara shrugged an apathetic shoulder, "I could do worse."

She gapes at that, a startled laugh coming from her mouth a second later. "Wow, you sure know how to woo a girl, don't ya?" her eyes roll. "What's up with this Matsuri girl? Did you date her before?"

"Absolutely not. She's had a crush on me since we were fifteen and she won't let up, no matter what I say. I think she has this mindset that I'll eventually just give in and just marry her or something. She just follows me around in hopes that something will just break my will."

"…That's called stalking."

"Yep."

"That's also kind of…gross that she just wants to wear you down until you give in and date her. No means no," her head twitches to the side and unruly hair falls into her face. "Sounds like a total creep."

"Yeah, girls can be creeps too, but we're not allowed to talk about that, I guess."

"No one's ready for that talk," she says around a grin.

Gaara's head bobs along to her words and she finds it entirely too cute. Seriously, she nearly coos at it but has to stop because this a former gangbanger she's dealing with and she can't be too sure but guys like that don't want to be called cute. Honestly, she'll call him whatever the hell he wants her to call him.

Boy is _fiiiine_.

Anyway….

"I mean, if we'd do this, how long would we have to keep it up?"

He rolls the question around his head, eyes looking up in thought. She was glad that everyone was inside and far too trashed to even realize what they're plotting outside. She realizes, of course, that this is not what her parents sent her to college for, to play games with random men met in shitty clubs. But Gaara leans his head back against the wall, baring his throat to her and she's enamored by the inked flesh and she wonders for a hot second what it would be like to mouth along the flesh of his throat.

"A month, maybe?" he suggests, Adam's apple bobbing attractively.

"You want to fake date me for a month or so?"

Again, he shrugs and smirks at her, "I could do worse."

"Stop saying that."

Gaara folds his arms across his chest, biceps straining against the short sleeves of his shirt. She has to wonder if he's doing all of this flexing on purpose but that couldn't be. The hell would he be gaining by trying to impress _her_? She's not even his type.

Xin skirts the puddle of questionable substance to get closer to him, smiling innocently. "Well, it's only right that we keep this up until we're both left alone, right? Just until Yoshiko and Masaru fucks off and your ex-girlfriend—"

"— _Not my ex_ —"

"—Takes a hint."

She sticks her hand out to him to shake on it. She's the daughter of a ruthless businessman, she can't help it. "We can come up with the details later. Maybe tomorrow when we're not surrounded by drunken college students?" she proposes, unwilling to admit that she just wanted an excuse to immediately see him again

Gaara reaches for her outstretched hand and yanks her towards him, smirking devilishly when she stumbles into his chest. She has to crane her neck completely back to look him in the eye, cursing her small stature. "Whatever you want, babe."

* * *

Riiiight.

Queen of Disaster is what they'll call her.

Xin groans into the mattress. She made a deal with Gaara, of all people, to start a fake relationship to get Yoshiko and Matsuri off of their backs. What the hell had she been thinking? She'd only been one drink in at that point, half a drink actually, it was far too soon to make awful decisions that would bite her in the ass later. She couldn't tell Karin about her dumbass plotting. Their relationship had to be legit and Karin couldn't keep her goddamn mouth shut for shit. Everyone had to believe that they were dating in order for them to pull this shit off without a hitch.

' _Where are you even at?'_

Xin picks her head up and stares blankly down at the message. What the hell kind of question was that? She was in her bed, back in her apartment—

This was not her bed.

She sits up fast and instantly regrets it when the room begins a sadistic and impromptu session of Ring Around the Rosie. Hell, she thinks she might be sick but manages to hold her insides together. She snatches up her phone and exits out of the messaging app, opting for her social media app instead. She's got too many notifications at once, but she clicks the first one, one that tags her and another user that she isn't currently following.

A picture of club Xin and Gaara, posted by Ino, greets her. Gaara is lounging on some stained ratty couch with Xin perched comfortably on his lap with one arm wrapped around her waist. She's smiling brightly, hands raised because she has a tendency to talk with her hands. He has a beer in his other hand, resting it against her thigh and seemingly listening to whatever the hell she was going on about.

' _New couple alert!'_ the caption underneath claims with what looked to be two thousand damn likes and eighty-nine comments. For a moment, she almost clicks on the comments but decides not to.

There's a video of her taking shots with a bunch of people she doesn't know save for Ino and Lee, one of her dancing with Ino and another picture of her leaning into Gaara with a self-assured smile pulling at her lips.

Drunk Xin was a fuckin' menace.

There's one last video of Gaara having a rather casual conversation outside of the bar with Ino. The only odd thing about that is that Xin is thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Her face is visibly red, but she seems to be laughing instead of cursing him out. Oh, God. Definitely not what her parents sent her to college for. Neji, her overprotective ass older cousin, was going to have a fuckin' conniption when he caught wind of this new development. Maybe he hadn't been on social media all day and was unaware of the fact.

With another groan, Xin swings her legs out and plants her feet on the floor and instantly realizes that she was swamped in an oversized t-shirt and not her outfit from last night. Panic settles in immediately and she wonders what the hell had she done?

The door chooses that moment to open and in comes Gaara, her apparent partner in crime and fellow idiot who makes bad choices. He's dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a white tank top and she's ashamed to say she's distracted by all of his tattoos. Apparently, she really has a thing for tattoos, who knew?

"Did you undress me?" she asks first, standing up way too soon.

Gaara snorts and steps into the room, closing the door behind him. "I put the shirt on you first and then undressed you. I didn't see anything if that's what has you so bent out of shape," he steps closer with an offered water bottle and pain killers. "Here, you kind of went overboard with the drinking last night."

She's not sure how to feel but he hadn't violated her, technically. Besides, she couldn't sleep in tight ass jeans and a tube top. It was more likely that her tit would pop out and then he'd actually see something. "Thanks," she mumbles with a flushed face. She pops the pills and sucks the water down greedily, draining the bottle quickly. "Sorry, I don't think you're a creep or anything but I woke up and…this is not my place."

"Ino dipped out before I could ask her where you lived so I figure I'd just bring you back to mine and let you crash here for the night."

"Right…uh, I'm sorry. I don't drink a lot.."

"Yeah, figured that out."

"Did I do something that I'll regret?"

Gaara bends to pick up the makeshift bed on the floor. She feels guilty the minute she realizes he slept on the floor for the night. "You met Matsuri," he says while dropping the load on the bed, uncaring if it makes an even bigger mess. It makes her scowl, she hates mess, and she proceeds to make his bed without him asking her to. "Told her to fuck off, had me laughing for a good five minutes."

"God, now she'll be after me."

"Maybe."

He watches as she expertly makes his bed, tucking in his blankets so freakishly tight that he's not sure he'll be able to untuck it later. "So," she avoids looking at him by smacking the pillow violently in lieu of fluffing it. "Our… _deal_. Does it still stand?" she presses quietly, hands coming to a pause to give his poor pillow some relief.

"Why? You backin' out, Hyuga?"

Xin turns at his teasing, pillow hugged to her chest. She looks thoughtful, rightfully so while she mumbles something to herself. She's not counting back from ten this time, so he knows she isn't angry again. The mumbles come to a pause and she finally looks up at him, smiling so prettily that it nearly takes his breath away.

"I'm still in."

She's definitely Queen of Disaster.

* * *

TeeBeMe: Yeah, okay, so I was editing chapter 39 for Shades of Cool and the shit decided to glitch out and I lost everything. So you know, I curled up into a ball and cried for a good couple of minutes. I wrote this instead to try to cheer myself up. A modern retelling of Shades of Cool if you squint and tilt your head to the side. Like we always say, two dumbasses in love, gotta love it. Don't worry, I'm reworking 39 as we speak so it should be up soon. Enjoy this for now.


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